Scrubbing-machine.



No. 657,584. Patented-sept", |900.. u. c. Bunk. v

SCRUBBING MACHINE.

(Application l'edl Jin. 29, 1900.)

(No Model.)

THE norms Pmns cn., Puma-Lhasa., wAsHmo'roN. n, cA

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIC'E.

HIRAMl C. BURK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SCRUBBlNG-MACHINE.

S'PEOFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,584, dated September 11, 1900. Application filed January Z9, 1900. Serial No. 8,141. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.:

y Be it known that I, HIRAM C. BURK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in scrubbing-Machines, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanical means for scrubbing, polishing, or scouring a floor; and my device consists in the employment of a number` of brushes or scrubbing or abrading devices with means for revolving them in groups in opposite di-V rections and for pressing them with-a predetermined force against the floor.

i The invention also has reference toa compact arrangement of frame and brushes which edge view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the use of abrading devices.

In the figures, l represents the frame of the machine, to which a handle 2 is pivotally attached, by means of which the machine ,is pushed over the iioor. This handle is adjustable by means of the curved slot 3 and set-screw'f. The frame is rectangular in shape, and between the sides thereof are mounted the heavy driving-wheels 5, which are preferably formed of metal and provided with rubber treads 6, so that the wheels will not slip upon the floor, but will convey movement to the shaft 7,7upon which they are mounted, and to the sprocket-wheel 8 between them, which is designed to transmit movement to the gearing that drives the brushes. In the forward portion of the frame is a rectangular space appropriated to the drivinggearing, which may be described as follows:

shaft is provided with the sprocket-wheel 40,

to which movement is transmitted by means ,of the chain 11, passing over the sprocketwheel S. On' this shaft are also mounted the bevel-gears 3l, which face in opposite directions. Underneath the transverse shaft are the vertical shafts 12, which are fixed securely at 13 in the frame. At the lower extremity of each vertical shaft is placed a roller 14, mounted in forked bearings 15 by means of the axles 16. At the upper extremities of the vertical shafts are placed the bevel-pinions 17, engaging each with one of the bevelgears 11. A yoke 18 is sleeved over 4each vertical shaft underneath each pinion and rests upon the roller-bearing underneath it. A clutch 19 in the hub of each pinion engages the hub of the yoke 18 and communicates the movement of the pinion thereto. The brushes 2O are each secured to a heavy plate or weight 21, suiicient to maintain the necessary pressure against the floor, and this weight is provided with a central opening 22, through which project the rollers. Vertical shafts or guide-rods 23, secured to the extremities of the weight, extend upward into the extremities of the yoke, through which they move up and down loosely to accommodate any unevenness in the iioor.

It will` be seen that with this device there will be no difficulty in maintaining an equal pressure upon the brushes and the degree of pressure can be regulated by providing a plurality of weights, some heavier than others.

The efficiency of this device is m uch increased by the opposite direction of rotation of thebrushes, which turn toward each other, and their lines of rotation intersect at the center of the machine, thus covering all the space gone over thoroughly, throwing the water or suds inwardly instead of spattering it-onall sides of the machine. The location of the two front rollers centrally in each group of brushes also serves to bring the brushes into prominence in front and on either side of the machine, so that corners and narrow places become accessible for scrubbing with the machine.

In Fig. 6 are seen slightly-modified forms of the weight and yoke, so that stones or spe- IOO l in the place of brushes 'for scrubbing or abrad- I ing Hoor-surfaces. In' this figure the yoke is brought down at Y and provided With-open ings X, in which the abrading substances can be placed. The Weight-21is then placed-upon y them to press them against the floor. The side rods R of the yoke serve as guides for the weight. One-half of the front bfthe nia'- chinel is seen in the figure. i

Having described my invention, what I- claim as neW,"-'a`rd 'desire to`s`ecu`re by Letters' Patent, is-

1. In a scrubbing-machine, the

centrally-located driving sprocket-Wheel, of

a transverse shaft located in the front ofthe machine, provided with a sprocket pinionw'anfd chain connecting with the driving sprocket- Wheel, vertical shafts mounted underneath the front of the frame, rollers securedto ysaid shafts, yokes sleeved over said shafts, weights encirclingsaid shafts, brushes moun'tedu'p'n said Weights and grouped about each roller,

'vertical rods or guides passing throu'gh'said yokes and secured to said Weights, and bevel-I gearing communicating the movements `^of said transverse shaft to said yokes, :substan tially as described.

' 2. 4In a'scrubbing-machine, aframe, in comf bination with verticalshafts at the front of g the Aframe provided with rollers at their lower f extremities, Weights encircling said rollers, l

combination with the frame, main driving-wheels and brushesfsecuredto said-weights-in-go'ups and means for driving saidur'eights fand, brushes in opposite directions and for aiording free f--vertiealmovement thereto, consisting of yokes sleeved about the vertical shafts, guide- ;rodsgpassingthroughsaid yokes and weights, b'evelpiiions upon'the yokes, a transverse shaft, oppositely-faced bevelgears upon said i `=s`liaft, lrand drivin g mechanism connecting said shaft with the main shaft of the machine, substantially as described.

VIn a "scrubbingmachinetleicombination with a frame panddriving mechanism,of a transverse shaft, driven by said driving mechanism, bevel-gears upon said shaft, Hvertical shafts mounted upon said frameandprovide'd ."With rollers `at their lower extremities, scrub; bing devices placed in groupsabout th'esaid rollers, weights upon the scrubbing devices, yokes upon the vertical'shafts, pinions engaging'said yokes andthe bevel-gears 'on said transverse shaft, and means for connecting said yokes with the weights and scrubbing 'devices whereby the Jmovement'of said yokes is transmitted to said weights 'and scrubbing devices, substantially as described.

{In testimony whereof I have signed my 6o 'naine to this V's'peciicz'ition iufhe presence of twosubsc'rbing Witnesses. I v p HIRAM C. BU RK.

Witnesses; 4

WM. M. MONROE', S. M. NEvILLE. 

